UNCG center Mariah Wilson (44) tips the ball away from UTC forward Jasmine Joyner (3) during the Mocs’ home basketball game against UNC-Greensboro at McKenzie Arena on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball players know one way they can get better results on offense.
Play better defense.
UTC has been one of the best defensive teams in the Southern Conference during Jim Foster’s three-year tenure as coach, and that helped the program win his first 36 games in league play. And the Mocs are still one of the stingiest teams in the league, but they have struggled on the other end of the floor.
The Mocs (13-7, 4-2) are seventh in the league in scoring at 54.7 points per game. The average is only 46.7 points for the nine road contests, and they’re on the road again today at East Tennessee State in a key SoCon matchup.
UTC’s defense will be tested today by an ETSU team led by explosive guard Tianna Tarter, who would rank second in the league in scoring if not for a concussion that caused her to miss nine games and prevent her from qualifying for league leaders.
Tarter has averaged 22.7 points and 3.7 assists in six league games, but the Mocs’ concerns are just as much – if not more – about their own offense.
“We haven’t found that scorer yet to depend on, and we’ve been a little hesitant taking it to the goal,” junior center Jasmine Joyner said. “We’ve always been a defensive team that gets our points by turnovers or on the fast break, so now when a team plays solid defense for us for 30 seconds, someone has to step up and shoot the ball.”
Foster said his team’s offensive identity is “evolving.”
“All years are different,” he said. “We have a couple of players I think that will help that haven’t played a lot, but until they’re ready they’re not going to get that opportunity.
“I think there are a couple that are ready to get out there and help us. The light bulb went on.”
Foster said junior forward Sydney Vanlandingham, redshirt freshman center Ashlyn Wert and true freshman guard Nakeia Burks have practiced well lately and could get additional game minutes as the team works to develop depth.
The Mocs largely have had a rotation of six players, with a seventh on occasion, so they haven’t been able to play the type of defense that has been a staple of the team in recent years.
“Our ability to pressure the ball isn’t what it has been,” Foster said. “We’ve been able to extend our defense in past years. This year we’re not extending, but we have the potential to start doing that a little bit because we’ll have a little more depth.”
The reduced pressure has affected a big part of the UTC offense – scoring off turnovers. Last season’s Mocs forced an average of 16.9 turnovers a game, which they turned into 18.7 points. The half-court numbers haven’t dipped this season in rebounding and defensive field-goal percentage, but the Mocs aren’t getting out in transition as much, as they force only 12.6 turnovers a contest, resulting in 11.9 points a game.
With the nation’s leading shot-blocker in Joyner, the reigning SoCon defensive player of the year in guard Alicia Payne and length and athletic ability all over the floor, the Mocs should be able to turn stops on the defensive end into baskets in transition.
“We’re known for our defense,” guard Keiana Gilbert said. “We like to push the ball upcourt, so we’ve got to focus on getting more stops. Getting more stops will help us get into an offensive rhythm, and that’ll help us execute offensively.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.